Lothian Buses

This morning, Bloom Scotland welcomed women in Marketing and Comms to its third panel event in Edinburgh. 🌟 Themed around ‘TaBOO Topics 👻’ including menopause, periods, and navigating difficult conversations in the workplace, the event kicked off with a keynote from Caris Brett (Insight Senior Analyst at IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) on IPA's recent research into menopause, followed by a panel discussion with Francesca Coia (Digital Planning Director, Republic of Media), Mercy Abel (Impact & Marketing Lead, John Doe), Gaynor Marshall MCIM. MCIPR, (Communications Director, Lothian Buses) and Olivia Waite (Sales Director, Channel Factory & Co-President Bloom North). We're proud to have sponsored this event alongside Republic of Media - congratulations to everyone involved for such an inspiring morning! #jcduk #OOH #networking Linda Hammond

Our very own Stuart Turnbull was delighted to attend Portobello High School recently for the awarding of prizes to some of the pupils engaged in our School Challenge Programme. At the launch of the Powering Edinburgh's Future programme in August, all the 200 S5 pupils at the school were tasked with creating a poster to encourage the young people in Edinburgh to travel by public transport, with the winning teams receiving a prize donated by Lothian Buses and Sarah Taylor. Gaynor Marshall MCIM. MCIPR and her fellow Directors selected the top three posters, who all received a framed print of their submission. The winning team will also be invited for a tour of the Lothian Buses facilities. We were amazed by the quality of the submissions and very grateful for the generosity shown from one of our National Schools Partner. We are now looking forward to working with the pupils as they progress through the challenge programme. Gaynor Marshall MCIM. MCIPR

📺 If you weren't able to join us in person at our Doors Open Day event last month, here's a quick recap of what our 5,500 visitors got to enjoy at our Marine Depot! #LothianBuses #DoorsOpenDay #Edinburgh #PartnershipWorking #CommunityEvent

🎬 Lights, camera, action! We’re making our way onto your screens for the first time on STV Group plc! We’re so excited to showcase some of the people who help make Lothian what it is. Stay tuned to STV over the coming months, and let us know if you spot us! For more information about the ‘Every Lothian Bus’ campaign visit https://lnkd.in/eNbsrRth #EveryLothianBus #LothianBuses #Edinburgh #STV #WeAreSTV

🏆 Lothian was named Bus Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards in London last night (3 October 2024). The award, which is open to all UK and Irish bus operators, celebrates the strong performance of Lothian over the last 12 months, which includes delivering an incredible 110 million customer journeys in 2023. Sarah Boyd, Managing Director of Lothian, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Lothian have been recognised as Bus Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards. “Our people make Lothian a great place to work, and this award is a testament to their hard work and dedication to ‘getting it right’ in delivering for our customers on a daily basis. “This award belongs to them, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of our people for their passion, commitment and loyalty.” At the ceremony in London, Lothian Driver Thomas Fair was also highly commended in the Frontline Employee category for his fast actions when a customer went into labour on his bus. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eDYbcxeh #LothianBuses #TeamLothian #Edinburgh #OperatorOfTheYear #NationalTransportAwards

Work is well underway ahead of our Doors Open Day at Marine Depot this Saturday (28 September). While this year’s event will be a little different due to the change of venue, there will still be something for everyone. For wee visitors, the much-loved kids' zone is returning, filled with inflatables, a mini disco, face painting and glitter tattoos, and much more. Our friends at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum will be in attendance with a selection of buses from days gone by on display. Our own modern fleet will also be on display, including the newest addition to the family - a brand new Volvo BZL Electric double deck bus. We've also got some brilliant stallholders and partners lined up for Saturday. We're delighted to say that teams from Edinburgh Zoo, Strut Safe, VOCAL, Porty Community Energy, Police Scotland Edinburgh and Harry's Gourmet Treats will all be there on the day! For more information about what visitors can expect to see and do on the day, visit 👉 https://lnkd.in/e_vzcYtW The event runs from 1100 - 1500 hrs. While completely free to attend, we strongly encourage donations to our Charity of Choice partner, VOCAL, who do invaluable work supporting unpaid carers across Edinburgh and Midlothian. Volunteers from VOCAL will be there with donation buckets and card machines to take contributions from visitors – please give generously! We hope to see you there! #LothianBuses #DoorsOpenDay #Edinburgh #PartnershipWorking #BehindTheScenes #CoachAndBus

The first of Lothian’s fully electric, double deck buses hit the streets of the capital tomorrow (Sunday 8 September), marking an important milestone in the company’s 105-year history. The Volvo BZL Electric buses, which will be operating initially on the Service 8 and 9 routes, offer customers improved comfort and quieter journeys, with each accommodating more than 70 passengers and featuring Wi-Fi, high back seats and handy USB charging points. Each vehicle also includes two wheelchair spaces. Sarah Boyd, Managing Director at Lothian, said: “Lothian’s decarbonisation strategy has a massive role to play in reaching local and national government climate change targets to safeguard our environment while bringing wider social, health and economic benefits for the city. “From a customer experience perspective, these new buses will provide visitors and residents with quieter, comfortable journeys. From our drivers’ perspectives, they will enjoy an enhanced driver workspace with improved vision in all conditions thanks to a camera-based mirror system. “I am excited to see the first of these vehicles hit the streets of Scotland’s capital in a monumental moment in Lothian’s 105-year history and look forward to the new chapter of our net zero journey.” Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eZsi2vrd #LothianBuses #Edinburgh #DrivingTowardsNetZero #ElectricBuses #Volvo #NetZero #Sustainability

Lothian recently welcomed the next cohort of apprentice engineers to the business where they spend the next three to four years honing their skills through on-the-job training. The Engineering Apprentice training programme at Lothian offers hands-on learning opportunities at one of Lothian’s city garages, gaining knowledge from peers with years of experience ‘on the tools’, in addition to further skills development with partner GTG Training in their purpose-built centre at Newbridge. Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eX3HMTXr #LothianBuses #Edinburgh #Apprenticeships #ApprenticesWork #GTG

Lothian is delighted to announce the launch of a partnership with Strut Safe, a volunteer-operated support telephone line offering a friendly voice at the end of the phone for those travelling alone. Strut Safe telephone lines are open on Friday and Saturday evenings between 1900 – 0300 hrs, and on Sundays from 1900 – 0100 hrs. The volunteer-led team stay on the phone with callers until they have arrived safely at their destination, no matter where they are going or where they have come from. Lothian is the first public transport provider in the UK to enter into an official partnership with Strut Safe, and the operator is excited about what this new opportunity may bring for both organisations. Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/e-TBAfa6 #LothianBuses #StrutSafe #Edinburgh #Partnership #PartnershipWorking

🏆 Lothian is delighted that Thomas Gilhooley, from our East Coast Buses driving team, was crowned UK Bus Driver of the Year at the national finals in Blackpool yesterday (Sunday 1 September). As well as the title of the UK’s best bus driver for 2024, Thomas also picked up the Coventry Trophy, the Road Operators Safety Council (ROSCO) Award, the Unite Trophy and the John Boxall Medallion. By way of his victory, Thomas was also the highest placed competitor from an ALBUM member, and highest placed competitor from a depot in Scotland. Lothian also was awarded The Bryan Constable Award for the best-presented buses in use at the National Final in the 'over five years old' category. Representing Lothian in Blackpool was Thomas Gilhooley (East Coast Buses), John O’Hara (Lothian) and Harvey Stroud (Lothian Country). Willie Hamilton, Operations Director for Lothian said: “We are thrilled that Thomas has been named the overall winner of the UK Bus Driver of the Year event. “The standard across the weekend was extremely high and our three representatives once again displayed the skill and professionalism our drivers are known for throughout the industry. “On behalf of everyone at Lothian, congratulations to Thomas on his victory and thank to you Thomas, John and Harvey for showing the rest of the UK what Lothian does best.” #UKDriverOfTheYear #Lothian #EastCoastBuses #BestOfTheBest #BusDriverOfTheYear #BusIndustry #BusSector